Fire breaks out at 7-story building in Jakarta; 20 dead
What's the story
A fire broke out at a seven-story building in Jakarta, Indonesia's capital, on Tuesday. The blaze started on the first floor around midday and quickly spread to upper levels. By Tuesday afternoon, the death toll had risen to 20, according to Susatyo Purnomo Condro, head of Central Jakarta police. "Now we are still focusing on evacuating victims and doing fire cooling," Condro said.
Rescue efforts
Firefighters and workers respond to emergency
Footage from the scene showed firefighters working hard to evacuate people trapped inside the building. Some workers were seen escaping from higher floors with portable ladders. The building houses Terra Drone Indonesia, a company that provides drones for aerial survey activities across various sectors including mining and agriculture. It is a subsidiary of Japanese firm Terra Drone Corporation.
Ongoing investigation
Investigation underway to determine cause of fire
The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Condro confirmed that some employees were having lunch in the building when the fire broke out, while others had already left for the day. According to Kompas TV, the fire has been contained, but efforts to evacuate the building are still underway.